Workshop
Engaging with Engagement (Generic Skills for PG students)
Feb 17, 2011 - Feb 18, 2011
ICMS, 15 South College Street, Edinburgh EH8 9AA
Organisers
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Collins, Julia | University of Edinburgh |
Communicating our research is something that we have to do every day, whether it’s explaining it to other mathematicians, chatting to our families, or impressing the boss of that new job we want. Mathematics is a particularly difficult subject to talk about, but that makes it all the more important to work hard to get across the amazing nature of what we do.
In this conference we’ll first hear some stories from people whose job it is to communicate maths, and then everyone will be given the chance to do some engagement of their own. Participants will be able to choose two workshops from the following:
- Giving a talk
- Writing an article
- Making a video
- Maths busking
Our expert mentors will help the groups producing their resource, and on the second day of the conference there will be a showcase of all these creations. Feedback will be given, and finally prizes will be awarded for the most outstanding pieces of work.
Funding for this conference is provided by the Roberts Fund for transferable skills and by the Generic Skills programme.
The workshops
Giving a talk
It’s traditional, but it’s effective! One of the most versatile methods of engaging is simply to talk about it, whether that’s in a school, in a seminar or at a conference. There are lots of tips which can help you give better and more exciting talks, and nobody knows them better than Rob Eastaway. Rob runs a maths theatre show called ‘Maths Inspiration’, where speakers get to engage with hundreds of school pupils every time. He’ll help to bring out the best in your talks and get your audience hanging on your every word. The best speakers will get the chance to give a performance before the general public.
Writing an article
There are more opportunities to write about mathematics than there have ever been! Blogs, magazines, personal websites, newspapers, books… It’s one of the easiest ways to get into communicating your research, but it’s harder to do it well enough to be able to stand out from the crowd. To mentor you into writing a great piece, we have the expertise from the editors of EUSci, the Edinburgh University Science magazine, together with a guest mentor yet to be confirmed. The best entries will be published in the next EUSci magazine and posted on the Edinburgh maths department website.
Making a video
A video is a great way to communicate your research, because the audience not only gets to learn about your work but they can see your personality shining through as well. Patronising as it may sound, getting across the idea that mathematicians are ‘normal’ ‘real’ people is an important one in today’s world! Your mentors will be a team from the Vidiowiki project: http://www.vidiowiki.com/. They’ll teach you to plan and shoot a 3-minute film about your research, and will include the best videos on their international website.
Maths busking
Maths busking (http://www.mathsbusking.com/) involves performing tricks on the high street that look like magic but are actually all about maths. It’s a great way to engage with an audience who would otherwise not think to come to a maths talk, visit a museum or go to a science festival. Matt Parker, stand-up mathematician and one of the founding members of the busking idea, will be here as your mentor to help you come up with new and exciting tricks to perform. There will be a chance for enthusiastic buskers to then do some real busking at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in April.
Public lecture with Rob Eastaway
There will be a free public lecture suitable for an audience of 16 years and older. This will be held in the Newhaven Lecture Theatre, ICMS, 15 South College Street on Thursday 17 February from 18.00-19.00, followed by tea and coffees.
Ten Ways to Win a Maths Bet in the Pub
What's the point of maths? To help you to win bets in the pub of course. The best bets are ones where your opponent thinks the odds are in his favour. Bestselling maths author and broadcaster RobEastaway demonstrates his favourite examples, ranging from the newspaper bet to a game of 'special' poker, with a stunning Derren-Brown-style prediction along the way. And to add a bit of spice, Rob will be giving the audience a chance to win some money off him too. This talk is suitable for anyone who has ever been (or fancied going) to a pub. With any luck, you won't have to pay for a drink for a while.
Arrangements
Participation
Participation is primarily for PhD students at the following Universities: Heriot-Watt University, University of Aberdeen, University of Dundee, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of St Andrews, University of Strathclyde and University of Stirling. Places are limited; if there are places available we will also consider: MSc students and Postdocs from the above Universities,and MSc, PhD and Posdocs from other Universities (participants from other Universities will be charged to cover catering costs; price on request).
To register your interest in participating, please complete this form.
Venue
The workshops will be held at ICMS, 15 South College Street, Edinburgh EH8 9AA.
Costs
The workshops are free of charge for participants from the above named universities. The cost of travel should be covered by the home universities as per guidelines for Generic Skills programme events.
Other participants will be charged.
Times
The workshop will span one and a half days: it will start after lunch on Thursday 17 February and will continue until mid-afternoon on Friday 18 February.
Public lecture
There will be a public lecture with Rob Eastaway on Thursday night. Tickets are available here (free). Students attending the conference will not need to register for tickets for the public lecture but if they want friends and family to join for the lecture they should be directed to the ticketing website above.
Programme
Thursday 17 February
13.30 - 14.00 | Registration and coffee |
14.00 - 14.10 | Opening remarks |
14.15 - 14.45 | Matt Parker |
14.45 - 15.15 | Keith Ball |
15.15 - 15.35 | Break. Tea and coffee served in the Chapterhouse. |
15.35 - 17.20 | Workshop 1 |
18.00 - 19.45 | Public lecture by Rob Eastaway, followed by tea and coffee |
20.00 onwards | Dinner at Spoon |
Friday 18 February
09.30 - 09.40 | Welcome Back |
09.45 - 10.15 | Opportunities for Engagement |
10.15 - 10.30 | Break. Tea and coffee served in the Chapterhouse. |
10.30 - 12.15 | Workshop 2 |
12.15 - 13.15 | Lunch, organisers set up showcase |
13.15 - 15.15 | Feedback, judges' comments |
15.15 - 15.45 | Prizes given, end of conference |
Participants
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Adams-Florou, Spiros | University of Edinburgh |
| Afara, Bassima | Heriot-Watt University |
| Alshomrani, Ali | Heriot-Watt University |
| Bah, Bubacarr | University of Edinburgh |
| Collins, Julia | University of Edinburgh |
| Dagbovie, Ayawoa | Heriot-Watt University |
| Djeundje Biatat, Viani Aime | Heriot-Watt University |
| Docherty, Pamela | University of Edinburgh |
| Eradat Oskoui, Solmaz | University of St Andrews |
| Gamado, Kokouvi Mawuli | BioSS and Heriot-Watt University |
| Grady, Keith | University of St Andrews |
| Karambal, Issa | Heriot-Watt University |
| Liu, Wei | University of Strathclyde |
| Meyer, Karen | University of St Andrews |
| Palmer, Sam | Heriot-Watt University |
| Pan, Jiafeng | University of Strathclyde |
| Patidar, Sandhya | Heriot-Watt University |
| Porter, Ros | Univeristy of Stirling |
| Powell, Mark | University of Edinburgh |
| Qiang, Feng | University of Edinburgh |
| Reynolds, Paul | University of Edinburgh |
| Smedley-Williams, Kim | Heriot-Watt |
| Takac, Martin | University of Edinburgh |